Baseball Headline

Friday April 4, 2014Florida Moving Past Game One of Series in Kentucky; Game 2 Set For TV

No. 19 Kentucky (21-9, 5-5 SEC) took the
series opener by a score of 17-1 over No. 20 Florida (19-11, 6-4 SEC) behind four consecutive
big innings. Game two is slated for 1 p.m. tomorrow and will be televised on
FSN (Sun Sports in Florida) with Larry Conley and Tom Werme calling the game.

Freshman right-hander Logan Shore (2-1,
1.35) will look to put the Orange and Blue back in the win column as he takes
the mound against UK’s Chandler Shepherd (5-1, 3.26).

Floridastarter Eric Hanhold (3-3)never was able to find a groove and allowed 10 runs (nine earned) in three
innings of work. The Gators used freshmen right-handers Dane Dunning and
Frank Rubio the rest of the way. Rubio entered the game in the fifth and
saved the bullpen for the rest of the weekend with four solid innings of work.
The freshman from Miami Shores allowed two runs and struck out a career high
three batters.

UK received a big night from starter and
number three-hitter A.J. Reed (6-1). The southpaw delivered seven innings of
shutout baseball and added a three-run homer and a pair of doubles.

Kentucky opened up the scoring in the second .With
two runners on, Max Kuhn sent a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left-center to give the
Wildcats the early 4-0 lead. UK loaded the bases in the third, and made the Gators
pay when Austin Cousino hit a grand slam to right to push the lead to 8-0. The
Wildcats tacked on four more in the fourth. Reed led off the frame with a solo
shot to center. Kentucky added five more in the fifth, beginning with Micheal Thomas’s
three-run homer to left.

Florida’s Buddy Reed knocked an RBI
double in the ninth to put the Gators on the score sheet. Designated hitter Peter
Alonso led the Gators with three hits in four at bats.

Postgame Quotes:

Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan

“We got off to a tough start and they put a
bunch of crooked numbers on us, for four innings in a row. It was just uncharacteristic
of us. We’ve been pitching really well this year and it was just unfortunate.
The good thing is that it is one loss. The most important thing is that we can’t
have this affect us tomorrow. They’ve got to flush this one tonight. Obviously,
everyone is disappointed. It is a tough loss, but it is what it is. We’ve got
to regroup and be ready to come out and play tomorrow.”

Gators by the Numbers:

·UF has claimed 13 of its last 18 contests and boasts a 4-5 record
away from Gainesville (2-5 in true road games, 2-0 at neutral sites).

·The Orange and Blue is 6-3 (.667) against top-25 opponents,
including a perfect 4-0 against top-5 competition this spring.

·The duo of Richie Martin (SS) and Casey Turgeon
(2B) has started all 30 games at their respective positions.

Series Nuggets:

·Florida holds a 132-60-1 advantage in the all-time series,
including a 56-33-1 edge in Lexington.

·Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan is 10-9 against Kentucky,
5-4 in Gainesville and 5-5 in Lexington.

·The Gators have captured 10 of their last 13 series against the
Wildcats.

·Florida has notched 2-1 series triumphs in four of the last
five seasons (W, L, W in 2009; W, W, L in 2010; W, L, W in 2011; W, W, L in
2012), with Kentucky emerging victorious last March in Gainesville (UF 4-1, UK
11-5, UK 6-2).

Road
Tripping: Tonight’s
contest was the first of an eight-game road trip for the Gators. After this
weekend’s three-game set, the Gators will face Florida State on Tuesday before
a three-game series against South Carolina and a midweek contest at Florida
Gulf Coast.